The Path to Enlightenment
by Whambamm
Summary: Seven new warriors are blessed with the power of the Dragoon. After a friend is murdered they seek revenge only to discover the path is tightly guarded. This is my first fic so any feedback is appreciated.
1. A New Wind Blows Forth

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Legend of Dragoon or any of the names or ideas from the game. I DO own the original characters in this story, which is practically everyone, and no one may use them or their likeness without my consent.

Chapter 1 

"Hey Boede, time to get up!"

"What the hell Annie, the sun isn't even up yet!"

In a pissy mood as always in the morning, the Lieutenant rearranged himself so he was sitting on the side of his bed. His short blond hair stood straight up, and you could hardly see his crystal blue eyes through his puffy, tired eyelids.

"What could be so important that you need to wake me at this hour?" asked Boede.

"As much as I love waking you up in the morning, I wouldn't have done it if it weren't important. A messenger just came from headquarters and they want you down there ready to leave town ASAP," said Annie impatiently.

Boede grimaced. "It's the bandits again isn't it?"

"I believe so" replied Annie.

"Why the hell do I have to take care of it? There are plenty of other capable soldiers who could take them down. Why me?" asked Boede.

"Call it a wild guess, but I think it's because, oh I don't know, the town is named after our family. We are the offspring of a legend, and the government is going to do whatever is necessary to see you become a high ranking officer as soon as possible. If you take care of this, you'll be one step closer to being their posterboy."

While Boede and Annie didn't necessarily think alike, by looking at them, you could easily tell they were twins. Both had blond hair, blue eyes, and were more than physically capable of taking care of themselves.

"I better get my things then" said Boede.

Boede went to his dresser and put on his usual undergarments. As much as he would have liked to dress casually, he would need to be in full body armor for his upcoming task. He then walked over to the wall next to his bed and picked up his weapon of choice.

His weapon of choice just so happened to be one that proved how physically capable he was. A four-foot long, one-foot wide blade now rested on his shoulder. One side was so razor sharp that if someone's hair were to blow into it, it would be severed. The other side was serrated so much that it looked like a saw.

Boede walked downstairs, apologized to Annie for being such a grouch, opened the front door and started towards headquarters.

Boede arrived at headquarters and was welcomed by his senior officer, Hamberg. Hamberg gave Boede the gist of the situation; the bandits were still running amuck in all of the neighboring towns.

The bandits had been doing this for nearly a year. They would go to Seball, Fletz, and Lashol and commit petty thieving. This normally wouldn't be much of a problem, except that when they stole, they did it at an alarming rate. In one day the band of thieves would be capable of 120 acts of theft in one city. Put all three cities together and that's 360 acts in one day.

"Have you discovered where their hideout is yet?" asked Boede.

"Our inside man has finally discovered the location. They have made their base in the massive bamboo forest twenty miles south of Fletz" replied Hamberg.

"Have someone get me my horse. I'll be leaving at once. Just let me go put on my armor" said Boede.

Boede walked downstairs into the armory and found his armor to be in its usual pristine condition. The armor was an emerald green with an emblem on the chest consisting of a shield underneath a crossing spear and sword. The shield looked like an upside down house and painted white to symbolize peace. The yellow spear and shield symbolized unity and the two founders of the newborn nation, his father Mel Seball and his father's friend Blake Forth. This country that had once been called Tiberoa was now called Forth, named after its founder. Boede's father had the honor of having the city of Donau renamed after him.

After assembling his armor, Boede walked outside and was seen off by Hamberg and any other soldier who was currently on duty at the headquarters. Boede then rode south out of town and towards the Bamboo Forest.

It was an easy ride, nothing Boede couldn't handle. The only hard part was his trek through The Barrens. The dry, arid wind was always bothersome, and the heat caused his armor to almost cook his body.

When Boede finally arrived at the Bamboo Forest, a man in armor exactly like his own greeted him.

"I take it you are the inside man Hamberg was telling me about?" asked Boede.

"Yes sir! I am Sergeant McKay sir. I have been busy infiltrating the bandits for the last five months sir," said the twenty-something year old man with bushy brown hair.

"How many of the bandits are currently guarding the base?" replied Boede.

"I counted five sir. The rest of them left early this morning for another massive set of thefts. If you want sir, I will dress back up so I can go report my rounds as inconclusive" stated McKay.

"That's a good idea. And when I come in to dispatch them you can help. Deal?" asked Boede.

"Deal!" said McKay enthusiastically.

McKay got dressed as a bandit again and headed back to the base to report his rounds. Boede got off his horse and silently trailed McKay to find the location of the base.

Five minutes after McKay had entered the base with four of the five bandits, Boede made his presence known by sneaking up behind the one bandit left outside on guard duty and cleaving him in two with his might sword.

The short but definite scream got the bandits inside on their feet just as Boede kicked open the door.

"You have been robbing the people of Forth blind for the last six months. What do you have to say for yourself?" asked a more than interested Boede.

Silence took hold of the room. Only interrupted by yet another scream. The man to the left of McKay now lay across the table with a mace stuck in the back of his head.

"Eddie? What the hell?" asked one of the frightened bandits.

"My name isn't Eddie, it's McKay. I am a sergeant in the Forth army who was sent to infiltrate your ranks in order to find your base. The crimes you have committed are unforgivable for too much has been stolen. You will now pay for your crimes with your lives."

Two quick swings from Boede, separated by one swing of a mace by McKay and it was over. Boede and McKay now stood over four dead bodies. While Boede did not necessarily agree with what had just taken place, the order he was given by Hamberg instructed him to neutralize the threat and that is exactly what he had just done.

As Boede and McKay walked out of the building congratulating one another, Boede became frozen from the next words out of McKay's mouth.

"One more step lieutenant and it will be your last", said McKay, with a sadistic grin coming across his face.

McKay continued, "Do you honestly think I would allow my band to be penetrated by a spy? I've been playing the Forth army for fools the whole time. It wasn't by band that you all were penetrating; it was you all that I was penetrating. How the hell do you think none of my men were captured in the last year? I knew where the army would be at all times."

"What the hell are you talking about? Do you know who you are talking to?" responded Boede harshly.

"I know exactly who I'm talking to," said McKay "I'm talking to a very promising soldier who, if captured would force the Forth government to finally turn an ear in our direction."

"Good luck capturing me," smirked Boede. He knew that McKay was no match for him physically.

Replied McKay, "You're correct in assuming that I am not as skilled as you as a warrior, but I have one thing you don't have. The element of surprise."

As those last words slipped from McKay's mouth, 100 bandits came down from their hiding place at the top of the bamboo trees. Four of the bandits came ten feet from each side of Boede, bent down and pulled.

The ground came up from underneath Boede and he fell…

Boede fell twenty feet and hit the ground hard. He wasn't knocked out, but he was in excruciating pain. Boede realized he must have broken every rib on his left side, the side he fell on.

Boede looked up in time to see the cover that had been pulled out from under him replaced. As the last ray of light left the pit he fell in, he saw the light make something stuck in the wall sparkle.

Boede crawled over to it in pitch darkness only to realize that the closer he got to it, the brighter the sparkle grew, to where it was no longer a sparkle but a source of light.

As Boede placed his hand on the new green light source, a voice entered his head. " You are the warrior the Jade Dragon has recognized as its new master. He grants you the power of controlling the element of wind. This newfound power can also grant you the power to escape this predicament you are currently in."

The only words able to come out of Boede's mouth were "What the hell?"

The voice continued, "You will find a spring to your right to heal your wounds. To put into perspective what I have said you need to hold the spirit upward in front of your chest. If you wish to find out more, head to Bale via Seles and find a man named Americ."

Boede still didn't know what was going on, but he thought he would try what the voice had suggested.

Boede crawled to his right side and found the stream. He drank a few handfuls of water and felt instantly relieved. The pain in his side was gone.

Boede then decided to hold the orb in front of his chest and as he did, a surge of power came across him. Boede all of a sudden found himself encased in a new, heavier, and what appeared to be impenetrable armor. His sword felt lighter and he had grown wings!

"So this is what the voice meant by having the power to get out of this predicament" thought Boede.

Flying was not hard at all and after a couple minutes of practice, Boede decided it was time to give the bandits a bit of a surprise. Boede flew up to the top of the pit and thrust his sword upwards at a speed he never before thought imaginable. The cover flew open with such force it looked like someone had thrown a stick of dynamite at it.

McKay turned around in time to see what could only be described as a green monster burst out of the pit. McKay couldn't believe what he was seeing. The monster was Boede, except Boede's armor had turned into a jade shell encompassing his body. Boede now had wings that had sprouted from his back, and as hard as it was to believe, Boede's sword looked more menacing now than it had not ten minutes ago. His sword was now gold instead of silver and the teeth on the serrated edge of the blade now consisted of tiny emeralds.

The bandits scattered, but it was all in vain. Boede glided back and forth from one end of the forest to the other swinging his sword from side to side, taking the life of a bandit with each swing. Boede purposefully left McKay for last, and after about five minutes the only two left standing were McKay and Boede.

McKay had decided he was not going to go down without a fight and had prepared himself for the fight of his life while Boede was dealing with his henchmen. McKay had kept on the armor he had acquired as a part of the Forth army, and had added a bassinet to his head to help prevent damage to his head. He was once again wielding his two maces, waiting for Boede to reappear. Then McKay looked around.

There was Boede hovering about three feet off the ground. It was now Boede's turn to do the threatening. "You have made a mockery of the Forth army and myself," said Boede, "and for that I'm afraid I will have to kill you. The public cannot know of this incident so I must make it so you never existed." As Boede raised his great sword to deliver the fatal blow, the voice entered his mind again.

"Boede, there is something else I must tell you…" started the voice.

McKay saw that Boede's head was facing down racked with confusion and figured that this was his only chance of getting the upper hand in the situation. McKay charged Boede with great speed, leapt up and prepared to strike both sides of Boede's head with his maces.

"By controlling the power of the wind, Boede, you now have access to powerful magic that can devastate your foes. Like this."

Boede all of a sudden had no control of his body except for his head; he looked up in time to see McKay swinging his maces towards his head. His voice let out the phrase, "Wing Blaster" all of a sudden and an aura of wind enveloped his body and sent the pouncing McKay crashing to the ground. Boede sent a powerful gust of wind in McKay's direction and held his sword above his head with both hands. The wind then formed around Boede in the shape of a bird and Boede flew towards McKay as fast as he could.

Boede sent McKay flying and ended up pinning his body against a tree with his sword. Boede took off McKay's bassinet and saw the life draining out of his eyes for the sword had actually sliced McKay in two when it pinned him against the tree. Boede unstuck his sword from the tree and felt his newfound power leaving him.

A green glow emanated from the same orb and all of a sudden Boede was back in his armor and his sword was back to normal as well. Boede decided it was time to report his 'findings' to Hamberg.

When Boede got back into Seball and to headquarters, he was greeted with a warm reception. Annie, Hamberg, and the rest of the soldiers at headquarters honored him with a victory dinner.

During dinner Hamberg asked where the inside man was. Boede told Hamberg that that was one of the things he needed to talk to him about in private. They waited until they finished eating, and Hamberg took Boede into his office.

"The thing with the inside man is this; we didn't have an inside man. The supposed inside man turned out to be the leader of the bandits, and in reality he had infiltrated us. When he told me of his actions, he dropped me into a pit as a hostage. It was there that I found this" explained Boede.

Boede held up the orb that was in his pocket and was transformed into the same green menace that he had been before.

"What is this?" asked a shocked Hamberg.

"I still don't know," said Boede," but this is what helped me get out of that pit and kill every last one of those bandits. When I found it, a voice entered my head and said that a Jade Dragon or something had chosen me as its new master. I don't know what that means, but it also told me if I want to find out more I should head to Bale via Seles. So I guess what I am saying is that I request your permission to go to Bale and find out what this is all about."

"Well if what you say is true about being able to dispatch that many men by yourself simply because of this, I think you owe it to yourself to find out what made you so powerful. You have my permission."

"Thank you, sir" said Boede.

Boede went back home, explained the story the exact same way to Annie, and even showed her what happened when he used the orb. Her answer was the same as Hamberg; she was just more reluctant to come to it. She didn't want to see her brother leave for who knows how long, but this was definitely something that needed answers. Boede thanked his sister for her understanding and packed for he would be leaving at sunrise the next morning.

"Next stop, Seles," thought Boede as he went to bed.

Author's Note: Please Read and Review. Any feedback is greatly appreciated even critical. It will just help me become a better writer. Thanks for reading.


	2. Compassion and Sensitivity

Author's Note: I meant to say this at the beginning of the first chapter, but oh well. The first seven chapters are going to be introducing the seven dragoons and how they came to acquire their powers.

Chapter 2

Haru woke up at sunrise, as usual, and decided he would train at the docks today. Haru leapt out of bed and did his usual warm-up routine of stretching, two hundred sit-ups, and one hundred pushups. Once Haru was done with his routine, he grabbed his katanas and headed for the docks.

Haru was a master with his katanas. With both strapped to his left side, he walked patiently to the docks and started his rigorous training. Having unsheathed both swords, which Haru had named Compassion and Sensitivity, Haru started his all too commonplace training of attacking, parrying, and counter-attacking imaginary foes.

Haru's training was interrupted by Geddy, the mayor's son. Geddy was Haru's unofficial sparring partner. Haru never asked for Geddy to join him, but Geddy always managed to find out where he was training and challenge him to a match. To say Haru would win would be an understatement; he managed to beat Geddy in four or less moves every match. Geddy's stubbornness refused to allow him to accept defeat, which is why they would spar every morning in the middle of Haru's training. While most people see stubbornness as a negative trait, Haru viewed Geddy's stubbornness as an admirable trait. The way Haru viewed it, all Geddy wanted was to be strong enough to protect the people he cares about, and that's all Haru wanted as well.

"Are you ready for a beat down today, Haru?" asked the short, strong mayor's son with short black hair as he twirled around his naginata.

The six-foot tall swordsman with long, free flowing black hair shrugged his shoulders in indifference and took a defensive stance. Geddy charged towards Haru and attacked first. He swung the naginata straight down toward Haru's head, but Haru simply crossed his swords to parry. Haru countered with his right handed sword, Compassion, while keeping Geddy's blade busy with his the sword in his left hand, Sensitivity. Haru swung Compassion at head's height towards Geddy only to have Geddy surprise Haru. Geddy ducked and spun around, tripping Haru to the ground with the haft of his naginata. At this point Geddy got cocky and laughed getting ready for the finishing move while Haru leapt back up on both feet and held Compassion to Geddy's throat for the win.

"Never give your enemy an inch Geddy. Any delay is a chance for your enemy to get the upper hand like I just did. Good luck next time. Now let me finish my training please" stated Haru.

"You lucky son of a," said Geddy, "I'll best you tomorrow."

Haru had decided his punishment for allowing Geddy to have the upper hand during the match for the first time ever would be for him to train an extra four hours today. And so Haru continued with his training.

Not five minutes later was Haru being called on from the mayor. The mayor made his way as fast as he could to the docks to tell Haru urgent news.

"What is it, Marij?" asked Haru.

"I've just received a letter from Akechi village. Apparently they are being ransacked by a pack of vicious wolves every night and are asking you for help in vanquishing these wolves" explained Marij.

"Well you know I have never turned down a person requesting help before, so I'm not about to start now. Send them a letter stating I'm on my way and that I shall be there by tonight. I must go prepare now."

Haru went back to his place to get ready for his departure. Haru started off by laying across his bed the clothes he had chosen, a combination of two karate gis he owned. Haru then decided to take a long bath since it may be the last one he'll have in a while. When he got out, he put on his undergarments and put on the pants from the white gi he owned. Next, Haru put on the brown gi he owned and tied it together with the brown belt that came with the gi. Haru grabbed Compassion and Sensitivity and strapped them to his side. He was ready to go.

Haru headed down to the docks and boarded his sailboat. Akechi was about sixty miles south from Rouge and it would take him the rest of the day to arrive there. The boat ride to Akechi was peaceful and uneventful, which gave Haru time to think.

For the past seven years, Haru and been protected Rouge and the cities surrounding it. His skill as a swordsman was unrivaled and Haru had vowed to use this gift to protect whoever needed protecting. It amazed Haru about how much of his life had been based on something his father had probably said in passing. Nevertheless, Haru had been protecting the people surrounding him for ten years and it wasn't about to change now.

Haru arrived in Akechi right at sundown. Akechi was a village that appeared to be set at the base of a mountain. In reality, however, it was actually near the peak of the mountain since the actual mountain went all the way to the ocean floor. Haru was greeted by the mayor of Akechi, a man named Jun. Jun explained their predicament.

For the last week, a pack of ten or so wolves had been coming down from the top of the mountain every night and ransacking anything someone had been naïve enough to have left outside. To live with this is doable, but last night the wolves had murdered a local man named Flog.

"Then I shall start immediately," said Haru, "I brought my own supplies, so don't worry about needing to give me anything. I shall see you in the morning."

Haru headed for the mountain and spotted a cave where the wolves may have made their den about halfway between the peak and the base of the mountain. The sun was about to be completely gone, so Haru needed to find a torch quickly. If he had more time, he would have found out a way to make one his own, but he needed one now so he backtracked to the mayor's house. Haru knocked on the mayor's door.

"Here you go Haru," said the mayor with a ready to go torch in his outstretched hand. "I didn't see you have one of these, so I had one ready for you. I know you're too modest to ask for anything from anyone, but don't worry about it."

With the lit torch now in his hand, Haru headed back towards the mountain. It took Haru about thirty minutes to get to the opening of the cave. The glare from his torch showed two sets of yellow eyes appearing inside the cave. He kept the torch in his left hand and unsheathed Compassion with his right. Haru inched forward to find that the two sets of eyes he was looking at turned out to be two wolves. They were the only ones inside the den; the others must have been out hunting. These two wolves looked really pissed off to Haru and before he knew it they were attacking him.

Haru used the torch to scare the wolves from getting near him while attempting to wound them with his sword. These wolves were not stupid however and the only thing the wolves attempted to attack was Haru's left arm. Individually the wolves were not accomplishing their mission of removing the torch from Haru. It was when they decided to both attack Haru's arm from the front and the back that they succeeded. Haru dropped the torch, but the wolves took a hit. In order to stop them from biting his arm, Haru impaled the wolf that had bit him from the front and the other wolf was smart enough to let go. The torch was on the other side of the cave now, and with low visibility, Haru didn't want to risk going for the torch. Instead, Haru unsheathed Sensitivity and stood perfectly still listening to the movements of the wolf. The sound of the wolf stepping ceased directly behind Haru and he acted like he did not notice. Just as the wolf was attacking Haru, turned around, fell to the ground, and crossed his swords above his body. The body of the wolf fell on top of Haru, while the head landed on top of the torch causing the den to smell like nasty, burnt hair.

Haru sheathed both his swords and walked to the opposite side of the cave to pick up his torch. Underneath the torch lay a golden sphere and it was shimmering. It was one of the prettiest looking things Haru had ever seen. Haru picked it up off the ground and a bright, golden light illuminated the entire den. A voice entered his head.

"The Golden Dragon has chosen you as its new master. With this power you can control the earth element. You can use this power to destroy the rest of the wolves plaguing the town down below without fear of dying. Hold the orb upward in front of your chest to understand what I mean."

Haru decided to do what the voice was telling him. He held the orb in front of his chest and the golden light glowed so bright it was blinding. Haru all of a sudden found himself encased in a suit of golden armor. It covered almost his entire body and based on the weight of it, seemed to be very capable. He looked at his back to discover that attached to the armor were wings that had sprouted out of it. He could fly now. His two swords were no longer in sheaths and weren't even made of metal anymore. Compassion was now composed of solid black shale but still just as razor sharp. Sensitivity was now one large diamond in the shape of his old sword. With the new power, Haru had no doubt that he would be able to take care of the rest of the wolves.

"The rest of the wolves are attacking Akechi down below right now. You do not know how to yet, but if you do discover how, do not use your earth magic because you may destroy parts of the town. Fly down now and destroy the wolves. When you finish you need to travel to Bale via Seles, and meet a man named Americ. He will tell you everything you need to know."

Haru took the advice of the voice appreciatively and flew down the mountain into the village. The wolves appeared to be attacking the village in two packs of four.

"Perfect," thought Haru, "this will give me at least a little time to learn how to use this."

Haru swooped down into the middle of the first pack and with a single swipe of both Compassion and Sensitivity, he had disemboweled one wold and decapitated another.

"What power!" thought Haru. The other two wolves and encircled Haru and were preparing to strike. Without even thinking, Haru sent his two swords hurling towards each wolf, impaling them both. Haru went to the two carcasses and withdrew his swords. Haru didn't know to where the other pack had gone off. The sound of a woman screaming to his right clued him however. The wolves had trapped the mayor and his wife inside their house and were breaking windows and doing whatever they could to get inside. Never wanting to see anyone get hurt, Haru flew over and dropped right in the middle of the pack. Haru started slashing like a madman and before he knew it, the mayor was yelling at him to stop. Lying before him were what could only be described as four piles of meat.

At this time the effect of his new power wore off and Haru found himself in his old clothes with his old swords back to normal.

"What was that?" asked an astonished mayor.

"I'm not sure, but I am glad I received this power for it allowed me to protect you all" said Haru proudly.

"I have a journey that I must take once I get back home. I am going to request that Geddy become the new bodyguard of these islands. He has become quite the fighter and will be more than capable of accomplishing any task you all need accomplished" stated Haru.

Haru had no desire to sleep, so he immediately set sail back to Rouge to tell everyone of what had happened. When he arrived back in Rouge, Geddy and Marij greeted him.

"I need to talk to you both in private," said Haru. Geddy and Marij could tell something was up and took them to their house. Haru explained all the events that had occurred and showed them what happened when he held the orb up to his chest. Both of them were astonished. Haru also explained that the voice that was in his head told him if he wanted to know more he should head to Bale through Seles.

"I need to know what this power is, so I will be leaving in the morning to find out" stated Haru. Haru told Geddy and Marij that he needed to go get his things ready, but as he was leaving he pulled Geddy aside.

"You have become a great warrior, Geddy. Since I am leaving, I have nominated you to be the new bodyguard for Rouge and the neighboring islands. Do you accept?" asked Haru.

"You bet I accept. Now I can finally prove my worth to this community," said an enthused Geddy.

"Congratulations, Geddy. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go get some much needed sleep."


	3. Crackling Fire

Chapter 3

"Wow, did you see that? That's seven in a row. How does she do that?" said a voice from the crowd as another piece of wood splintered into a thousand pieces.

Kei was used to this. She made a living doing the only thing she was ever good at, using a whip. To pay rent, Kei had been putting on a show at the Lohan fair everyday showing off her skills with a whip. She was absolutely amazing, and some locals had even given her a nickname: The Whipmistress. Kei couldn't stand how corny the name sounded, and besides, she preferred to just be called Kei.

Kei had always had an adventurous side to her, so as a side job she would occasionally work as a mercenary. The way she viewed it, working as a mercenary was like taking a vacation that she could make money while taking. So, once a week Kei would head over to the bounty office to see if there was anything that piqued her interest. Today was her lucky day.

"Look out, here comes the Whipmistress!" said Dana jokingly. He knew that Kei could whip his butt, literally, from Lohan to Mille Seseau with no problem whatsoever.

"What was that Dana? You must want me to smack you across the face" said the petite redhead jokingly back to Dana. "So, is there anything new this week that I might want to get my hands on?"

"Nothing really. Just the usual suspects: rapists, murderers, and perverts. Since I know these types of jobs are not your forte, I might as well not even go into detail," said Dana.

"Well, what about the thing Fred was talking about earlier?" said Dana's son, John.

"What was Fred talking about earlier, Dana?" asked an interested Kei.

"It's just a bunch of rumors, Kei" said Dana, "Fred said he had been in Hoax last week and there was a rumor going around town that someone had found a map stating that some ancient treasure is hidden inside Volcano Villude. It's just a rumor though, don't take it too seriously."

"Sounds interesting. Where's Fred? I want to ask him about it some more" queried Kei.

"I think he said he was heading to the market and then home. He said he was pretty tired" answered John before Dana could get anything out.

Kei decided to bypass the market completely and just head to Fred's house. Fred lived no more than a mile outside the city's walls and lived by himself. When Kei arrived at his house, there was light coming through the windows, and sure enough, Fred was home.

Kei knocked on the door three times, and within ten seconds Fred opened the door. "What can I do you for, Kei?" asked Fred.

"I just came from the bounty office, and Dana and John said you heard a rumor in Hoax about some ancient treasure. Is it true?" asked Kei.

"Based on how many mouths I heard those words pass through, I figure there has to be some truth to it. You aren't thinking about checking it out are you?" asked Fred.

"Of course. You've been my most reliable source the last couple years Fred, so I have no reason to take what you hear with a grain of salt. Besides, I need a vacation. Doing the same boring show day in and day out, while hearing people chant Whipmistress all day is definitely getting to me. I need a break" explained Kei.

"Well I know nothing I can say will make you change your mind, but you better heed what I am about to say. I take it you have never been to Volcano Villude, so all I have to say is to dress lightly. You are going to be in an active volcano and any piece of metal you carry will become too hot to touch. Good thing you use a whip, huh?" joked Fred. "Best of luck to you."

"Thanks, Fred. I'm going to go get my things ready to leave tomorrow. Just to let you know though, if I do find something, I'll split it with you for giving me the info" stated Kei.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm just passing on a rumor that I heard. Have fun out there, but don't be careless" said Fred.

"Thanks again."

Kei headed back to her apartment in the city. Taking Fred's words into consideration, Kei picked out the clothes she would take with her tomorrow while on her little trek. It was just her luck that she always dressed rather lightly while going on her adventures. Laying across her bed was a regular white blouse, a light red leather jacket, and a pair of brown pants with a removable strap attached to it to house her whip. After everything was prepared, Kei went to bed.

Kei woke up right an sunrise, very surprising considering she is not a morning person, but her anxiousness had gotten the better of her and she just wanted to go. There was one thing she had forgotten to ask Fred the night before that she wanted to ask him before she left. Kei put on the clothes she had laid out the night before, grabbed her whip, and started towards Fred's house.

Kei knocked three times on Fred's door and was greeted by a half asleep Fred. "Is there something I can help you with Kei?" asked Fred.

"I got so excited about the possibilities all this brought that I forgot to ask probably the most obvious question. This ancient treasure…what does it look like exactly?" wondered Kei.

"I honestly have no idea. No one knew in Hoax. All they knew was that someone had found a map with an X on top of Volcano Villude. I wish I could tell you more, but that's all I know," said Fred.

"All right. I guess I'll just be going in there and looking for something that looks out of the ordinary. Talk to you later," said Kei as she walked away. Kei continued on the path out of town and headed towards Volcano Villude.

The journey to Volcano Villude took all day and when Kei finally arrived at the outskirts, her hopes all but vanished. The rumor of the treasure had spread quickly and at least one hundred people from all around Serdio had made camps surrounding the volcano.

"Shit," thought Kei, "my chances of finding a treasure with all these people here is about as good as me finding a needle in a haystack four stories high." Kei still decided to set up camp and look in the morning because this was her vacation and she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

Kei slept in the next day, because everyone there was going to get an early start anyway, so waking up early wouldn't improve her chances. Once Kei was thoroughly refreshed, she got up and headed into the volcano.

Kei walked casually through the volcano looking up, down, left, and right with each step to see if there was anything that looked out of the ordinary. All Kei saw was a bunch of rocks and lava down below her.

The one spot inside the volcano Kei noticed no one was touching was a cul-de-sac that had a tiny lip following it all the way around. She figured all the other explorers, who were almost entirely men, were either too big or clumsy to attempt to maneuver around the lip. "What the hell, thought Kei. I didn't come here to see the sights. Perhaps there is something no one is able to see inside the cul-de-sac."

Kei took three deep breaths and stepped onto the lip. After fifteen steps, Kei was no longer visible to the rest of the treasure hunters. "This could be a good thing or a bad thing," thought Kei, "If I find something, no one will see me find it and I can walk straight out of here acting like I'm empty-handed. But, if something happens to me, like if I fall, I'm pretty much screwed."

The very next step Kei took caused the lip underneath her foot to crumble and Kei fell. Everything was moving in slow motion for Kei while falling and she was thinking to herself, "Isn't that ironic?"

"Wait a minute, I have a chance" screamed Kei to herself. There in front of her eyes was a piece of rock jutting out from the side of the wall. Kei grabbed her whip and aimed for the life of her, literally, and smacked the whip. Luckily it coiled around the piece of rock and stuck. The reaction of the whip going taut was harsh and almost caused Kei to lose her grip. Kei swung back and forth on the whip for a couple minutes until the whip came to a stand still. Kei began to climb up to the jutted piece of rock and was astonished at what she saw. Planted into one of the tiniest looking alcoves Kei had ever seen was quite possibly the most beautiful looking gem Kei had ever seen. It was a spherical ruby about the size of a human hand. Kei reached out to it with her right hand and was amazed that the sphere started glowing very bright.

Once Kei finally touched it, a voice entered her head. "You have been chosen to be the new master of the Red-Eye Dragon. With this power you will be able to control the element of fire. And I'm sure you want out of the mess you're currently in right now as well. Simply hold the spirit up in front of your chest and the rest will take care of itself."

Considering she didn't have much of a choice, Kei did as the voice told her and she held the sphere up to her chest. Flames spread throughout her body, but they didn't hurt, and they soon formed a hard, red armor that completely encased Kei's body. Kei's whip went slack and turned into a beautiful coil of pure ruby. Kei did not fall, however, since a pair of wings had sprouted from the back of the new armor, and Kei hovered right below the jutting rock.

"Now what?" thought Kei.

"First off, you are not going to want the other people in this volcano to see you how you are currently. I suggest a distraction to avoid any confrontation. In order to accomplish this I will use you as a puppet to show you how to use magic."

Kei all of a sudden lost control of her body. She watched as her armed holstered her whip to her side. Both of her arms gathered in front of her chest as a ball of molten lava grew right in front of her. Once it was the size of her torso, her arms lifted the ball over her head and lunged it the opposite direction of the entrance to the volcano while her voice let out, "Flame Shot."

The ball hit the wall of the volcano and made a hole, connecting two parts of the volcano that were not connecting a moment ago. The other explorers thought it had opened up a completely new part of the volcano and started fighting each other to be the first ones through. With this distraction, Kei flew over to the entrance and landed on the ground.

"If you want to know more about this you need to head to Bale and find a man named Americ," said the voice.

When the voice stopped speaking, the red light that had illuminated from the sphere earlier that put her in the red armor, illuminated again, and Kei found herself back in her normal clothes with her normal whip on her side.

"What the hell was all that?" thought Kei. "As much as I do want to find out what the hell this is, I think I'll head back to Lohan first and ask Fred, Dana, and John if they either know what the hell this is or if they have ever heard of a man named Americ."

It was nighttime by now and Kei decided she would walk through the night and head back to Lohan as soon as possible.

She arrived at Fred's door just as the sun was coming up. She knocked three times and was greeted by a half asleep Fred once again. "What's up Kei? You couldn't have actually found something at the volcano, could you have?" asked Fred.

"I don't want to explain it right here, but meet me at my place in thirty minutes and I'll tell you everything. I need to go get Dana and John for the same reason. Don't be late," said Kei with an uncharacteristic serious look on her face.

Kei walked into town and walked up to the back of the bounty office where Dana and John lived. "Dana, John, open up. It's Kei. I need to talk to you."

Dana opened the door with a cup of coffee in his hand. "What's the matter, Kei? It's way too early for you to be awake, so this must be important" said Dana.

"Wake John up, get dressed, and meet me at my place fifteen minutes. I need to show you something important. Don't be late" stated Kei.

Kei then left and went to her place. She opened the door and sat down with a look of puzzlement on her face. She took the ruby sphere out of her pocket and placed in on the end table next to the chair she was sitting in. "What are you?" asked Kei to the sphere.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Fred, Dana, and John had all arrived at the same time. "So, what's going on exactly?" asked Dana.

"Come in, come in" said Kei. "Close the door behind you." Kei walked over to the end table, picked up the ruby sphere, and held it to her side.

"It's beautiful!" said all three men simultaneously. "Was that the ancient treasure?"

"I'm not sure, but watch this!" said Kei as she held the sphere in front of her chest. She once again found herself encased in the red armor and still had the wings on her back.

"Oh my God! What the?" shouted John

"Whoa" said Dana.

"Holy crap!" was the only phrase able to come out of Fred's mouth.

"Now I don't know what the hell this is, and obviously none of you do either based on your reactions, but I'll tell you how I came to get it" said Kei.

Kei told them the story about how many explorers were at the volcano and how no one had searched the cul-de-sac. She told how she fell and saved herself by slinging her whip around a rock. She told them where she found the sphere and how a voice had entered her head when she found it. She also explained over the magic she was capable of performing now, and how it helped her escape from the volcano unnoticed.

"Well, since none of you knew what this was, I'm guessing none of you are going to be able to answer by nest question. Right before I transformed back to my normal self at the volcano, the voice told me to head to Bale and find a man named Americ. Now does that name sound familiar to any of you?" asked Kei.

Unfortunately, all three of their responses were what she had expected; none of them knew who Americ was. Kei transformed back to her normal self and told the three men that she was tired and needed sleep. She also explained to them that she would be leaving tomorrow morning for Bale to find out if she could find this man named Americ.

"Good luck" said the three men.


End file.
